


Pitter Patter

by MechBull



Category: The Red Line (TV 2019)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:41:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22113517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MechBull/pseuds/MechBull
Summary: You know how you know you're going to be a doctor? That's how I knew I was going to be a dad... It's how I recognize myself, it's what's keeping my feet on the ground.
Relationships: Liam Bhatt/Daniel Calder
Kudos: 3





	Pitter Patter

Liam didn’t know if the sounds he was making could best be described as whimpers or whines. He did know that, ever since Daniel confirmed that he did, in fact, want to be doing what they were doing, he’d been unable to form the most basic of coherent thoughts. 

He had never truly believed that he’d ever get to be with Daniel like this, and he couldn’t still quite believe it. So, when they toppled over onto his bed and Daniel lost his balance and rolled to the side, Liam took the opportunity to pinch himself. 

He _was_ awake. With a small chuckle at himself, he closed the distance between them again.

“What’s funny?” Daniel muttered, far more focused on kissing the skin of Liam’s throat and chest exposed by his now-unbuttoned shirt. 

“Nothing,” he replied, sighing at the sensation of Daniel’s lips sucking just where his pulse was beating. “Just – happy.”

Daniel moaned in clear agreement, even as he pulled Liam closer. Awkwardly and ineffectively, they repositioned themselves on the bed so they were no longer laying half off of it. It took longer than maybe it should have, if only because Daniel was a bit more concerned with getting Liam undressed. In fact, several delightful minutes had passed before Liam realized he was virtually naked – not counting boxer briefs that left little to the imagination by that point – while Daniel was still virtually dressed. Several buttons were undone on his shirt, revealing the tank beneath it, while his unzipped pants were spread open, but that was it. 

That was entirely unacceptable. 

Liam set to work unbuttoning Daniel’s shirt fully. Although a very large part of him had wanted to focus on the pants first, to get Daniel out of them so he could have unrestrained access to… well, anyway. He wanted to savor this and see all of him, after so many years of having nothing but his fantasies. 

Daniel himself seemed a bit hesitant, however, slowing down his own movements the closer Liam got to skin. He backed away, making small protesting noises, and his blush was clear even in the dim light of the afternoon sun peeking through Liam’s closed blinds. 

“What is it?” Liam asked, almost speechless with nerves. If Daniel stopped them now…

“Nothing. Nothing, it’s just – ” Daniel laughed. “It’s stupid.”

Liam held a hand to Daniel’s cheek. They held eye contact, and after a moment, Liam shook his head.

“What?” He asked again. “Do you…you do…?”

Daniel nodded hurriedly. “Of course. I’ve just – I’ve seen the guys – I’m just remembering I’m 10 years older than you, I guess, and I haven’t…”

Liam finally caught on. “Are you saying you’re worried I won’t find you hot when I see you naked?”

Daniel struggled with an answer, finally shrugging his shoulders. He looked nervous as hell. Liam tried to hide his amusement, in case Daniel took it the wrong way. If only Daniel realized how little he had to worry about. 

“After 20 years with only one – ” Daniel stopped abruptly, as if he second-thought bringing up Harrison now, when the pause in their activities hadn’t been enough to completely kill their erections still currently pressed together. “And just…the gym hasn’t been a priority the last several months. Or years, really.”

Liam shook his head, his lips twitching as he fought a smile. He wanted to be kind and to reassure, but mostly he just wanted to get past this absolutely unnecessary conversation so they could just _do it_ already.

“Daniel, get this off,” Liam instructed, impatiently yanking at the hem of his shirt with such force that Daniel couldn’t really resist unless he wanted something to tear. 

Soon enough, Daniel was naked from the waist up. Perhaps he was more _thin_ than _lean_. The muscles in his stomach did not come anywhere close to a six-pack. And the hair smattered across his chest as well as the trail disappearing into his underwear wasn’t immaculately _groomed_. No, objectively, Daniel’s body couldn’t compare to some of the guys Liam had been with. Liam himself was in better shape, although he didn’t particularly feel like some sort of ideal specimen either. 

But _subjectively_? Liam’s mouth was watering with desire. He ran his hands up Daniel’s chest, just barely digging his nails in on the way back down. Daniel hissed at the sensation, making Liam smile hungrily. 

“You are rocking the Dad bod,” he observed.

Daniel broke into laughter, dropping down to lie on Liam. Liam wrapped his arms tighter around him, grinning even though it hadn’t been entirely a joke. As Daniel continued to shake with laughter, Liam tilted his head so his mouth lined up with Daniel’s ear.

“I don’t think you have any idea how often I check you out,” he whispered.

Daniel pushed up enough so he could stare down into Liam’s eyes. He stared back, projecting sincerity even as he was trying to hide his embarrassment at the confession, still not sure yet whether this was the start of something, or how much exactly Daniel was ready for. But then, Daniel dropped down again, this time to kiss Liam. Liam stroked his hands along Daniel’s torso again, ending with his palms cupped over small but noticeable love handles. With a groan, Liam used that hold to pull Daniel closer, spreading his legs so Daniel fell in between them.

**

It felt like a race or competition. With each shout or moan from Liam, Daniel thrust harder and faster, draping himself over Liam’s body more fully and intertwining their fingers as they both gripped the top edge of the couch. Kneeling on the cushions so they could lean against the back made it difficult to get really, _really_ good leverage or force, but they were definitely making it work anyway.

Liam swore, nearly babbling with pleasure, as he dropped his head down and arched his back to push back against Daniel. Daniel shifted his angle of entry, squeezing one hand in between Liam and the cushion, splaying his fingers across Liam’s stomach and holding him close as he rocked inside him.

“Right there,” Liam groaned. “Keep going.”

Daniel nodded, leaning down to rest his forehead against Liam’s shoulder. He was completely unable to form words by that point, and all he wanted to do was _come_ already, but he also wanted to drag this out as long as possible, just in case this was all he would be able to manage for the day.

The day had definitely taken a turn for the better. After he and Liam moved Jira and her belongings into the dorms, Daniel had been pretty depressed. That lasted until Liam pointed out, while they were cleaning up after lunch, that they could now “christen” multiple rooms in the house without worrying about Jira walking in on them. Daniel had laughed, then almost killed the mood by reminiscing that Harrison used to talk about the same thing whenever the subject of Jira moving out came up. 

There had been some awkward tension at that, which made Daniel apologize. But Liam had waved it off, stepped closer, and asked extremely coyly if Daniel would still be interested in something like that. 

They’d made it through two rooms so far, but Daniel was starting to realize that the problem with having a child who was grown and out of the house was that it meant you too were getting maybe a bit old. Too old for sex marathons, anyway. 

He was exhausted. But he dug deep, finding some last reserves to – well, fuck Liam as best he could for another minute or so. They came at nearly the same time, both shouting out, muscles quivering as they toppled to the side and luckily if clumsily landed on the couch rather than falling off it. 

Daniel sighed, stretching out his legs and burrowing his face into the groove formed by Liam’s neck. He didn’t pull out, not yet, wanting to savor the feeling a bit.

“Wow,” Liam mumbled. 

Daniel chuckled, nodding in agreement. They were quiet then, floating on all sorts of lovely hormones. Daniel stroked his hand lazily up and down Liam’s side. Eventually, he couldn’t wait any longer and he reached down to hold the condom as he pulled out, making them both moan. He twisted around as he tied it off, and he dropped it to ground, making a mental note to clean the floor, not to mention the couch’s upholstery, thoroughly.

He laughed at himself for that thought, realizing that there was a time when something like that wouldn’t have even occurred to him or bothered him. When _did_ he get so old? 

“Hmm?” Liam wondered.

Daniel shook his head, even as he slipped his knee in between Liam’s legs. 

“That was nice,” he said instead of answering.

Liam snickered. “Not the word I’d use.”

Grinning, Daniel pressed his nose to the back of Liam’s neck. “What’s the next room on your list?” he wondered. 

“List?”

“You haven’t made a list?” Daniel teased. 

“Maaaaybe.”

Daniel waited, knowing that Liam would cave sooner than later. He was right.

“Well,” Liam said, almost conversationally but not casual enough to fool Daniel. “We did some…unconventional eating in the kitchen, before we, ah, relaxed on this couch. I would suggest that next we _work with our hands_ in the office, if you follow me.”

“I think I can crack that code,” Daniel replied, laughing. “But I think I need a little time before…”

“Oh God, me too.”

It was both comforting and ego-boosting to know Liam needed some more recovery time too. Daniel didn’t say anything about that, though. Instead, he simply pulled a throw pillow closer, nudging Liam to lift his head enough so he could slide it under both of them. Then Daniel sighed in contentment. 

They lay there for a while, enjoying the feeling of holding each other. As time passed, however, Daniel started to notice the sounds around him, besides Liam’s slow and steady breaths. There was the occasional clanking sound from the fridge, reminding him it might need to be replaced soon. And there was the hum of the air conditioning. Some noises from outside – cars passing by, neighbors calling out to each other, a singing bird. 

But it was the _absence_ of certain sounds, sounds he was so, so used to by then, that were the most noticeable. The sounds that he associated with Jira. 

“It’s so quiet without her here,” he observed. “I finally understand what people mean by empty nest.”

He could sense Liam’s smile even though he couldn’t actually see it. Liam didn’t reply, but he did lift Daniel’s hand to his mouth so he could kiss the back of his fingers. 

“She’s not that far away,” Liam reminded him.

Daniel sighed. “I know.” 

Liam’s answering laugh was fond. “I clearly am not doing my best work here, if you’re still thinking – ”

“No, you’re the only thing keeping me – ” Daniel began, before cutting himself off as he realized the statement was more truthful than teasing, despite his initial intent. “Move in with me.”

There was a long silence. Daniel waited impatiently, although he tried not to rush a response. Finally, Liam turned, managing to roll over to face Daniel despite the limited space available.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

Liam stared at him, and Daniel looked back, holding eye contact. He could tell Liam was warring with himself, perhaps afraid that Daniel was asking for the wrong reasons or that it was too early or something.

“OK,” Liam finally whispered. 

Daniel broke into a wide smile, and he pulled Liam to him for a kiss. It heated up surprisingly fast, and before he knew it, he was blindly climbing off the couch and pulling Liam with him. 

There wasn’t any pitter patter of little feet anymore, but the pounding of their feet as they hurried to the office for the next round did echo through the house.

**

Daniel slowly and carefully moved his head to the side to peer through the darkness at Liam. He was breathing deeply and slowly, but _too_ deeply and slowly to actually be asleep. Not to mention, he was holding himself a little too stiffly.

Daniel knew why he was pretending to be asleep, and he knew what was keeping him awake. They’d had dinner at Liam’s sister’s house that evening, something they’d done a handful of times before. But that night was different. It was the first time they ate there as an engaged couple, and the first time they ate there after his sister shared her own news – namely, a pregnancy.

He remembered when Liam had gotten off the phone with his sister the day she had told him about it. He remembered the smile on his face – as wistful as it was happy – and how it didn’t quite reach his eyes. It had been about two weeks ago, now. Liam had been awfully quiet ever since then. And Daniel had been thinking a lot about it himself.

Finally, he decided it was time to just say something. If for no other reason than because they both needed to start getting more sleep. He rolled to his side, so he was fully facing Liam. Well, Liam’s back at the moment. 

“So,” he began, his voice sounding loud in the room even though he barely spoke above a whisper. Liam twitched in surprise but didn’t turn yet. “Should we look into adoption? Or surrogacy or fostering, maybe?”

Liam didn’t reply for a long time, so long Daniel started to feel nervous. He wondered if he should take it back, if he had read the situation all wrong or – Liam turned to his back and then to his side, finally making eye contact with Daniel.

“What?” he asked, shock warring with painful hope. 

Daniel shrugged, not sure Liam could see the move through the darkness. “I feel…like you are wondering if you lost your chance to have kids by agreeing to marry me. If not, then never mind. But if so, I’m…open to talking more about that.”

Liam struggled for a response. Eventually, he breathed in deeply, shakily, clearly fighting tears. The sound prompted Daniel to reach out and take hold of his hand. Liam squeezed back.

“I don’t – it’s not a dealbreaker for me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I don’t need – ” he said, and Daniel knew he was sincere if not entirely honest about his own wishes.

“But you want,” Daniel broke in. “And I want that too. With you.”

“ _Really?_ ”

Daniel nodded. “It was Harrison who only wanted one. I would have had more.”

Liam was speechless for a moment. Then he shook his head and scooted closer. “This is crazy. I’d be nearly 60 by the time they graduated high school. You’d be – ”

“Older than that. Well, hopefully, because the alternative wouldn’t be great,” Daniel agreed, smiling. “But I’ve never quite understood that argument. It’s never easy to lose a parent, no matter when, so the whole high school graduation thing is completely arbitrary. Besides, we’ll be that old in 18 years anyway, so all that means is that there will have been a kid out there who didn’t get to grow up with an awesome family. I think – I think having loving parents is more important than having young parents.”

Liam laughed, even as he lifted a hand to cover his mouth. 

“You’d be an amazing Dad,” Daniel murmured. “You’re already so great with Jira.”

“That’s another thing, Jira. She – ”

“We can talk it over with her, of course. But it’s our decision, ultimately, right?”

“Right,” Liam breathed out.

“So?”

“You’re serious?”

Daniel nodded. “I don’t think this is the kind of thing I would joke about.”

Liam took a deep breath. Finally, he spoke, voice breaking with emotion. “Yes. I mean, I think we have to talk about it a lot more. But yes.”

With an unstoppable grin, Daniel closed the distance between them and kissed Liam passionately. Liam half-cried, half-laughed against his lips before kissing back. After a moment, Daniel broke away from Liam’s mouth to instead focus on other areas of his body. He alternated between soft presses of his lips and light sucking and tiny grazes of his teeth over Liam’s neck and collarbone and chest, pausing to work one nipple into a stiff peak before moving on again. Liam’s fingers threaded through his hair, nails digging into his scalp. 

By the time Daniel was dipping his tongue into Liam’s navel, the mood in the room had changed quite drastically. He could feel Liam’s hard cock pressing against his chest, and he had a decision to make. On one hand, he could keep moving his way down, take Liam in his mouth and taste him, swallow his release. But on the other hand – and the one he ultimately chose – he wanted something that allowed a bit more connection, allowed them to look into each other’s eyes as they found pleasure with each other yet again. So, he worked his way back up until their mouths were joined in another kiss. 

Daniel reached out blindly, fumbling on the side table until he found the tube of lube. Pressing it into Liam’s hand, he backed off a bit. Liam moaned into his mouth as he took the hint and rolled, pushing Daniel to his back. He never once stopped kissing Daniel, so familiar with his body now that he could do this without even really thinking about it. Daniel grunted, then sighed, trying to relax as Liam’s finger breached him. 

Soon he was whimpering, his hips rocking in time with Liam’s movements to prepare him. And just when he was about to break their kiss so he could literally beg for more, Liam removed his hand. He lined up, pressing in steadily until he was fully inside Daniel. Daniel’s breath shuddered as they paused and tried to control themselves, foreheads resting together and arms wrapped around each other. 

Liam opened his eyes and lifted up slightly to meet Daniel’s gaze through the dimness. Unexpectedly, he smiled, laughing breathlessly. Daniel raised an eyebrow curiously, and Liam shook his head.

“Just remembering that whole condom discussion we had when we got engaged. The potential of kids never even came up and yet…”

Daniel tilted his head back, barking in laughter. “I know you’re not a biology teacher but…”

Liam shushed him before leaning down for another kiss. He started to move then, drawing a groan out of Daniel with his first long, slow thrust. 

“Need to get as much of this in while we can,” Daniel managed to say.

Liam nodded somewhat frantically, shifting a bit to mouth at Daniel’s jaw as he continued to move. “Definitely.”

**

“Shouldn’t we be sleeping when she is?” Liam asked, voice muffled by Daniel’s lips as he kissed him over and over again.

But he was panting with need and refusing to let Daniel separate far from him, and his cock had been rock hard since shortly after Daniel had slicked up his fingers and started preparing him. So, Liam’s objection didn’t seem that sincere, and Daniel felt more than justified ignoring it. Instead, he climbed to his knees to get enough space between them and, without any further warning, grabbed Liam by the hips and lifted, turning him rather gracelessly. 

Liam went with the movement, though, adjusting his new position until he was more comfortable on his stomach. He reached out blindly, grabbing one pillow and stuffing it beneath his lower body. He slid another pillow over until he was able to bury his face in it. Probably wise, because Daniel knew very well how loud he could get in this position. 

“We haven’t had sex in weeks,” Daniel finally responded. He lowered down again, lining up to rub against Liam’s ass. “You can sleep if you want to. I’m finishing this either way.”

Liam’s entire body shook with laughter, but the sound soon turned more guttural as Daniel pushed inside him. He began to hump against the pillow, matching Daniel’s own thrusts, and he reached up to grip the top edge of the mattress. Daniel flattened himself along Liam’s back, sliding his own hand up to grasp on as well, their fingers intertwining. He used the hold as extra leverage to move harder and faster. 

And after that, not much else was said between them aside from multiple _fuck_ s and _love you_ s and _feel so good_ s and more than one _shh, don’t wake her_. That last admonishment was forgotten by the end, with both of them shouting out their climax. They’d probably never know if it was the sound that woke the baby, or if she would have woken anyway, but they didn’t get much time to enjoy holding each other as they calmed before the baby monitor speaker crackled and the sounds of crying filled the room. 

Liam lifted his head off the pillow, facing towards the monitor. He sighed, then started to push himself up. 

“Stay there,” Daniel said, sitting up. “Go to sleep. I’ll get her.”

“I think it’s my turn,” Liam argued, although that objection too lacked sincerity, considering he dropped back onto the pillow. 

“You have work in the morning,” Daniel reminded him, pulling on his boxers that he had just found near the top of the staircase. “Don’t worry; I’ll collect when it’s your turn for paternity leave.”

Liam grinned, rolling over to watch as Daniel started heading down. “Bring her here,” he called out after him. “We can put her in the bassinet once she falls back asleep.”

“‘Kay,” Daniel agreed.

**

Liam felt almost like he was floating around happily, as he waited for Daniel to return with the baby. It was hard to believe how much their lives had changed in just a few short weeks. And he couldn’t put into words how wonderful those changes were. Even if, yes, he and Daniel didn’t have as much time for intimacy as they’d had before.

The fussing little girl in Daniel’s arms made up for that, in so many ways. Liam moved to the side as Daniel crossed the distance to the bed, then climbed carefully onto the mattress, so as not to jostle their daughter. Her head was resting on his chest in the spot Jira solemnly tried to pass on to her as a “welcome to the world” present. Daniel had pointed out that they both could fit, one on each side, and Liam had smiled fondly at the three of them as they cuddled, that first day they brought the baby home. 

Even now, he was torn between love for his family that was almost terrifyingly strong and a perhaps not so surprising desire at how hot Daniel was when he was shirtless and being all sweetly protective and paternal. He scooted closer, smiling up at Daniel when he turned to look at him. Reaching one hand out, he placed his palm on the baby’s back. Daniel lifted his own hand, resting it on top of Liam’s and stroking his thumb back and forth before relaxing again. He leaned back against the headboard and closed his eyes. Liam watched him for a moment before shutting his own eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> 1) After having one fic where Liam did not want kids and one where he was ultimately OK with not having his own, I had to write one where he did want them and it was an issue. At one point in the planning process, this story was much longer and more dramatic. It had flashbacks to Daniel and Harrison discussing and arguing over having more kids, and it had scenes with Jira, and so on. Eventually, that just seemed too much, and I decided to make it shorter, simpler and sweeter, even if that meant I had to leave out a lot of interesting and probably more realistic bits. Part of me still wants to go back and flesh this out more. That said…
> 
> 2) This is likely my final fic for the Red Line. Kind of weird to end on a smutty kidfic one-shot, but there we are. I still love this show and these characters, and I plan to do a full rewatch soon, rather than just checking scenes for writing purposes, but I don't have immediate plans to write any more fic. While I might get more ideas in the future, I highly doubt I'll bother. I’ve worked through most of the emotions and scenes I wanted to and can now simply enjoy the show as a standalone masterpiece that far too many people missed out on. But another reason, if you're wondering, should be apparent if you take a look at the AO3 stats. Imagining scenarios in my head is easy and fun. Writing, revising and posting them costs time and effort. As I often say, I write for me but I post for others, and a handful of kudos and zero comments on the last 5 (now 6) stories make it clear to me that it’s not appreciated (or at least, not enough) and therefore no longer worth the work. Thanks for coming along with me on this journey, to those few of you who read these stories, and I hope you enjoyed them. Unfortunately, I have no idea what you thought of them, the characters, the show, anything. Pro tip: especially in very small fandoms, it helps to provide even just some incentive so writers don’t feel like they’re shouting into a void. For me, fandom is a community, and a community of one is no fun.


End file.
